Many of the Arabic terms used in this translation are found in The Oxford English Dictionary, including, Islam, Quran, Hadith, Sunnah, etc. Such words have not been italicised in the text, and generally, are not glossed here. In various places, the Promised Messiah (as) has explained various words in a linguistic context or expounded their deeper spiritual meaning, as is the case, for example, with amr, insan, mal, tasallut, yanzuruna, among others. Such words, though italicised in the text, have not been included in the glossary. Similarly, foreign terms which can adequately be translated into English—though given in the text on certain occasions—have not been elaborated here. Therefore, please note that only such terms are included in this glossary which require an explanation above and beyond a simple translation in English.
Al-Hakam — the first official organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community established on 8 October 1897. The first editor of Al-Hakam was Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani (ra). This weekly newspaper was published from Qadian, District Gurdaspur.
anna — a currency unit previously used in British india, equal to 1/16 of a rupee.
Asr — the third of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the late afternoon.
Badr — the second official organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community established on 31 October 1902. This weekly newspaper was published from Qadian, District Gurdaspur, in the Urdu language.
cowrie — the flattened yellowish shell of the money cowrie, formerly used as money in parts of Africa and the Indo-Pacific area. Cowrie is derived from the 17th century Hindi word ‘kauri.’
Dar-ul-Harb — literally, ‘Territory of War’ and refers to such territories where no treaty of peace with the Muslims exists. Various schools of thought and jurists believe that an Islamic territory taken by non-Muslims becomes a Dar-ul-Harb when Islamic law is replaced.
din-ul-aja’iz — is to remain firm in practising the fundamental principles of religion without any deep insight.
Eid-ul-Fitr — a festival celebrated at the end of Ramadan with the sighting of the new moon, to offer gratitude to Allah for the blessings of Ramadan.
Fajr — the first of the five daily prayers, which is offered at dawn before sunrise.
fana — literally, ‘annihilation’ or ‘to cease to exist’. The Sufis speak of three stages in man’s spiritual journey to God. The first stage is fana, or the complete denial of the self and the realisation that only when a person imposes a death upon their own soul can they be truly united with God. The second stage is baqa (subsistence or life) and the third stage is liqa (meeting), which is the state of union with God. The state of fana fillah means to be lost or absorbed completely in the love of Allah.
Hafiz — a person who has committed to memory the entire text of the Holy Quran.
Hujaj-ul-Kiramah — a book by Nawwab Siddiq Hasan Khan, relating to signs of the Latter Days.
Imamayn — literally, ‘The Two Leaders’ is a title of honour that refers to Hazrat Imam Hasan (ra) and Hazrat Imam Husain (ra), the two grandsons of the Holy Prophet (sas).
Isha — the last of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the evening, shortly after nightfall.
Ishraq — is an optional Prayer consisting of two phases: two rak’ats are offered when the sun has risen for a while but not enough to have heated up the environment. Once the latter has occurred, this is the second phase, in which one may offer four or eight rak’ats. The first phase is known as salat-ul-ishraq and the second salat-ud-duha. It has been named salat-ulawwabin as well. In some Traditions, however, the Prayer offered between Maghrib and Isha consisting of six rak’ats is called salat-ul-awwabin.
Maghrib — the fourth of the five daily prayers and offered right after sunset.
Mahdi — literally ‘the guided one’ and also refers to the Imam Mahdi—a title meaning ‘Guided Leader’, given to the Reformer of the Latter Days prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
Malfuzat — written records of sayings, discourses and audiences of pious men, Sufis and religious divines.
Mathnawi — an extensive poem written in Persian by Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Rumi, it is one of the most influential works of sufism and is often referred to as ‘the Quran in Persian.’
maulvi — a Muslim cleric
mi’raj — literally, ‘the ascension’ was a spiritual experience of the Holy Prophet (sas) in which he travelled into the heavens, met various Prophets and ultimately Allah Himself.
muqallid — a term which refers to someone who follows the teaching of another. In general it refers to someone who follows one of the four main Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, namely: Hanafi, Shafa’i, Malaki, Hanbali.
rak’at — a single unit in the formal Islamic Prayer, consisting of the standing and bowing positions, as well as two prostrations.
ruku — the bowing position in the formal Prayer.
sama — literally means ‘listening’. It is a Sufi practice that combines music, chanting and dance to induce mystical trance and spiritual ecstasy.
Syed — a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
tabarra — a fundamental aspect of Shia doctrine which teaches disassociation with the first three Caliphs of the Holy Prophet (sas) and his companions, and refers to the obligation to curse them.
Tadhkira-tul-Awliya — literally ‘Memorial of the Saints’ is a book written by Farid-ud-Din Attar, a Persian poet and Sufi, about the life of renowned mystics and their miracles.
tolah — a traditional Indian unit of measurement, equivalent to approximately 11.664 grams.
Zuhr — the second of the five daily prayers, which is offered in the afternoon after the sun begins to decline from its zenith